MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 9/17/15

With a matchup against Twins' southpaw Tommy Milone on the docket, time to fire up the reigning American League MVP.

If you've never played daily fantasy baseball before, it's time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you're able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every day.

And if you'd like, you can use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition.

As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the things completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until the games start, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.

Top Pitchers

High-Cost Pitcher

Corey Kluber -- The reigning American League Cy Young award winner has put together another spectacular season in his 2015 campaign, posting a 2.88 FIP, 3.01 xFIP and 2.96 SIERA while striking out 9.84 batters per nine innings. Although a matchup with a Royals squad who strikes out at the lowest rate in all of baseball is far from an ideal matchup, Kansas City has been somewhat slumping as of late -- they rank just 17th in the league wOBA (.318) and 18th in wRC+ (100) since the All-Star break -- which makes them a decent target on a night where there are very few viable pitching options to choose from. Kluber is our number one overall projected pitcher tonight by a mile.

Tanner Roark -- As I already mentioned, solid pitching options are few and far between tonight. With that in mind, if I were to roll out an inexpensive pitcher he would need to have a truly elite matchup tonight and the Marlins fit the bill. Miami ranks dead last in both wOBA (.293) and wRC+ (82) against right-handed pitching this season which bodes extremely well for Roark tonight. Although he sports just a 4.16 xFIP and SIERA while striking out just 5.60 batters per nine innings, the matchup against Miami is too good to pass up considering the lack of pitching options on the board tonight. Roark is definitely in play at just $4,800 on DraftKings and $6,000 on FanDuel.

Top Hitters

High-Cost Hitters

Mike Trout -- The reigning American League MVP is having another masterful season this year, ranking inside the top ten in all of baseball in wOBA (.405), wRC+ (166), ISO (.280) and OPS (.965). Trout is in play any time he takes the field and is an excellent play tonight against Twins' lefty Tommy Milone. Milone has struggled to get out right-handed batters all season long, earning a 4.59 FIP and 4.27 xFIP against righties while they have knocked him around for a .332 wOBA through his first 20 starts. The Angels' star is in play on all platforms tonight, but is an absolute steal at just $4,000 on FanDuel.

Jose Bautista -- The Blue Jays are the best hitting team in baseball by far and Bautista has played a huge role in their success this season. The Jays' slugger has absolutely destroyed right-handed pitching this season, amassing a .392 wOBA, .299 ISO and .927 OPS against righties and draws a tremendous matchup against Braves' rookie right-hander Matt Wisler and his 5.20 xFIP and 5.10 SIERA tonight. Bautista is our number one overall projected batter on the board tonight in a game that Vegas expects Toronto to dominate.

Adam Jones -- Jones has had somewhat of an up and down year. His recent struggles have seen his price tag drop all the way to $2,800 on FanDuel and $3,900 on DraftKings and with a matchup against Rays' lefty Matt Moore tonight is the perfect opportunity to buy low. Moore has been nothing short of abysmal when facing right-handed bats this season. He's earned a horrific 6.06 FIP and 5.78 xFIP against righties while they have tagged him for a .446 wOBA on the year. Jones has hit lefties well all season long, posting a .335 wOBA and .210 ISO against southpaws this season. Look for Jones to break out of his slump and reach value easily at his diminished price.

John Jaso -- Jaso makes a strong play any time he faces off against a right-handed pitcher. The Rays' veteran boasts a .353 wOBA, .171 ISO and .820 OPS against righties this season and has been batting leadoff for Tampa Bay any time a right-hander takes the hill. Tonight, Jaso squares off against Orioles righty Chris Tillman and his 4.57 xFIP against left-handed bats. Jaso is dollar for dollar one of my favorite plays on the board at just $2,500 on DraftKings and $2,200 on FanDuel.